Mrs. Backues, a seventy-four year old veteran, had been unemployed for three years and searching for a position that would supplement her social security. She was current with her Registered Nurse (RN) License with the State of Ohio and had maintained her Continuing Educational Units (CEU's). Due to extensive job searching on her own for the better part of the three years, she believed her age to be a barrier to any serious consideration for employment. There were other barriers identified during the DVOP's assessment such as the need to acquire computer skills evident from her typed resume and cover letter.

Mrs. Backues attended free basic computer classes given at the Northwest Ohio Job Center in Wauseon, OH at the suggestion of DVOP Nick Hill. Additionally, she was assisted with creating a new resume and cover letter and with completing a generic application to organize her work history and other pertinent information an employer might require. Interviewing skills were also discussed. DVOP Nick Hill explained one of the many services provided was job development; Mrs. Backues thought it would be the ticket to getting an interview without initially being screened out.

On December 15, 2011, DVOP Nick Williams made a job development contact with Americare Health Services in Defiance, OH and assessed their hiring needs. Once the need was determined, DVOP Williams shared his client's qualifications and explained that she previously held positions such as Charge Nurse and Director of Nursing. Her maturity was presented as an asset reflecting her timeliness and firmness in the handling of care and medications. Her cover letter and resume were emailed and accepted for consideration. Mrs. Backues was called December 16, 2011 for a phone interview and soon after scheduled for an in-person interview just before Christmas. On Dec 27, 2011, she went to her second interview and immediately afterwards was scheduled to complete her fingerprints and background check at the County Sheriff's Office. Mrs. Backues attended orientation at 8:00 a.m. on December 30, 2011 for her new job.

Upon follow-up, Mrs. Backues stated that she is certain the intensive services and the method of job development provided by the DVOP on her behalf is what helped her get her foot in the door and ultimately offered employment.

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